STBA Advisory Group Meeting – 16th June 2025
The Sustainable Traditional Buildings Alliance (STBA) invites sector leaders, practitioners and policymakers to a pivotal afternoon of discussion on the role of Energy Performance Certificates (EPCs), Minimum Energy Efficiency Standards (MEES), and Net-zero targets in relation to traditional and heritage buildings.
Context
The policy landscape governing retrofit and energy performance is shifting rapidly. Yet traditional buildings – which make up over a fifth of the UK’s housing stock – are often underserved by mainstream regulatory frameworks. Moisture behaviour, building fabric, and cultural significance all demand greater nuance.
This Advisory Group meeting brings together key figures in government, regulation, conservation and construction to examine how evolving policies can better reflect the needs of traditional buildings, while aligning with national decarbonisation goals.
Policy Briefing – EPCs, MEES, and the reform agenda
The event opens with a briefing from four speakers offering government and conservation perspectives:
Matt Carey – Department for Energy Security and Net Zero (DESNZ)
Ross Loveridge – Scottish Government
Rhiannon Phillips – Welsh Government
Douglas Kent – Society for the Protection of Ancient Buildings (SPAB)
This session will set the context for discussion on energy standards and their practical implications for older buildings.
Roundtable Discussion – Sector Perspectives
Senior representatives from across the sector will then reflect on the implications of current and forthcoming standards – including EPC reform, MEES obligations and the drive toward Net-zero – for their own areas of work. Confirmed speakers include:
Jo Lugg – National Trust
Sarah Price – Passivhaus Trust
John Edwards – IHBC
Des Cairns – CIAT
Event Details
Date: Monday 16th June 2025
Time: 1.00pm – 5.00pm
Venue: Diespeker Wharf, London N1
How to attend: To register your interest, please email info@stbauk.org
With thanks to our sponsors:
Ecological Building Systems and Pazco
New STBA Retrofit Guide Coming Soon: Moisture Permeability in Traditional Buildings
How can we retrofit traditional buildings while managing moisture safely?
STBA, in partnership with UK Centre for Moisture in Buildings (UKCMB) and the Sustainable Development Foundation (SDF), is preparing a groundbreaking new guide on moisture permeability in traditional buildings. This essential resource will equip practitioners, designers, specifiers, and building managers with the knowledge needed to balance energy efficiency, material performance, and moisture safety.
What to Expect:
- Insights into vapour movement, insulation properties, and moisture dynamics
- Practical guidance on internal and external insulation strategies
- Considerations for minimising condensation, mould, and frost damage risks
- A whole building approach to retrofitting with moisture balance in mind
As the demand for sustainable retrofit solutions grows, understanding and managing moisture risks is crucial to preserving both building integrity and occupant health. This forthcoming guide will provide key insights to support informed decision-making at every stage of a retrofit project.
Stay tuned for updates as we prepare to release this vital resource.
STBA CALECHE project:
(Coherent, Acceptable, Low Emission Cultural Heritage Efficient renovation)
CALECHE develops a decision support system (DSS) for renovating historic buildings, emphasising a people-centered, holistic, and digitalised approach. The DSS integrates specific protocols for initial evaluations, heritage, energy, structure, engagement, and monitoring, ensuring compliance with cultural value protection regulations. CALECHE focuses on improving key technologies like interior bio-insulation, window conservation, and BIPV, demonstrating the link between innovation and heritage renovation. The work is showcased across four examples and accessible on the Historic Renovation HUB website.
STBA’s role is to lead the coordination on:
- A literature review placing the approach in a theoretical context
- A review of existing tools and methodologies placing the approach in a practical context
- Stakeholder engagement capturing feedback on the identification and weighting of values and benefits as well as analysing trade-offs between various benefits and impacts
- Bringing those threads together to define the key features and write the specification to this multi-criteria decision support system tool to be hosted on a Historic Renovation Hub
Other partners will be working on integrating BIM, AI, a repository of retrofit solutions, wider stakeholder engagement, and dissemination and communication, as well as four casestudies for pilot study – including individual buildings as well as areas, where outputs will be analysed over a range of factors, heritage and technical.
STBA Briefing Guide: The Use of Natural Insulation in Retrofit
Effective retrofit solutions for traditional buildings must balance energy efficiency, moisture control, and long-term durability. STBA’s latest briefing guide, The Use of Natural Insulation Materials in Retrofit, examines how bio-based materials can help mitigate moisture risks, regulate indoor air quality, and improve thermal buffering.
This guide explores material properties, hygrothermal performance, and regulatory considerations, providing clarity on how natural insulation interacts with existing building fabric. It also discusses barriers to wider adoption and the opportunities for improving retrofit strategies.
An essential resource for industry professionals and policymakers.
Download and read The Use of Natural Insulation in Retrofit
‘Retrofit at Scale’ endorses STBA’s Responsible Retrofit Guidance Wheel’ tool
We are thrilled to share the release of ‘Retrofit at Scale,’ a comprehensive document highlighting the critical role of the STBA’s ‘Responsible Retrofit Guidance Wheel‘ tool in sustainable heritage conservation. Read the document to explore how our tool is setting new standards in the heritage retrofit sector.
Download the document here.
STBA Case Study: Ton Pentre: Whole House Retrofit, 2023
STBA is delighted to announce the release of a new Case Study in Whole House Retrofit. The building is a small mid-terraced solid walled dwelling in Wales, typical of many throughout the UK. The case study is particularly significant due to the excellent u-value achieved on the rear wall (0.53W/m2K), with minimal insulation thickness, and the use of materials compatible with the original fabric. Overall, the building exhibits good internal air quality and achieves an EPC band A rating.
Read the report, here.
From Retrofit to Regeneration
This paper explores the shift from merely upgrading buildings to a broader approach that includes regenerating both the buildings and their communities. It highlights the limitations of retrofitting alone and advocates for a comprehensive strategy that integrates building improvements with social, environmental, and economic revitalisation.
Download the paper, here
Historic Environment Scotland (HES) Guide to Energy Retrofit Of Traditional Buildings
Launched in Edinburgh at COP26, STBA Patron member, Historic Environment Scotland, lead the way in this detailed guide on retrofit. This is an illustrative and detailed example of how to utilise modern tools to assess traditional buildings, improve the thermal performance and, retain the character of a site steeped in heritage.
Download the paper, here.
QUICK LINKS
COMPANY INFO
- Diespeker Wharf, 38 Graham Street, London N1 8JX
- +44 (0) 20 7189 1698
- info@stbauk.org
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